Image recording apparatus, image recording method and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An image recording apparatus in which recording preset information, constituted by a recording start time and a recording end time, is stored for each preset program to be unattended recorded. If there is any overlap between the recording start times and the recording end times of the preset programs that are to be recorded, a warning is generated; and the overlapping preset programs are prioritized for unattended recording.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus andan image recording method. More particularly, the invention relates toan apparatus and a method whereby TV programs are preset for unattendedrecording.

[0002] Today, technological innovations for recording and reproducing TVprograms abound: greater availability of storage media such as harddiscs with larger capacities at lower costs, techniques for higher-speedaccess to the storage medium for recording and playback, processes forrecording, reproducing and transmitting data at higher speeds than ever,and methods for compression-coding at higher speeds of video and audiosignals involving moving images. These innovative systems and schemeshave given rise to the development of a new type of image recordingapparatus capable of compression-coding video and audio signals of TVprograms for recording, decoding and reproduction.

[0003] The above type of image recording apparatus can record video andaudio signals of a plurality of TV programs on a mass storage mediumtypified by hard discs. Given such recording capabilities, the imagerecording apparatus should preferably be equipped with a program presetfunction for presetting a plurality of TV programs for unattendedrecording, as well as a recording control function for recording thepreset programs onto the storage medium.

[0004] The image recording apparatus capable of letting users preset TVprograms for unattended recording typically permits preselection of thestart and end times of each desired TV program to be recorded; programinput routes over which to record the programs such as channel numbers;and levels of image quality at which the recordings are to be made.Given these settings, the apparatus is generally capable of verifyingwhether any preset TV programs for unattended recording overlap with oneanother between their preset time zones.

[0005] The question is what to do if any TV programs are found tooverlap between their preset time zones. The image recording apparatusshould preferably deal with such overlapping preset TV programs in a waythat is easy to handle and optimally satisfying to the user.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus and a method for dealing with overlapping preset TV programsfor unattended recording between their preset time zones in a mannerhighly manageable and maximally satisfying to the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In carrying out the invention and according to a first aspectthereof, there is provided an image recording apparatus comprising: aninformation storing element for storing recording preset informationconstituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of eachof preset programs for unattended recording, and by a program inputroute through which to input each of the preset programs; an overlapjudging element for judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; an overlap warning element forwarning of any overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; anda priority presetting element for prioritizing the overlapping presetprograms for unattended recording.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording apparatus comprising: an information storing elementfor storing recording preset information constituted by a recordingstart time and a recording end time of each of preset programs forunattended recording, a program input route through which to input eachof the preset programs, and an image recording quality; an overlapjudging element for judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; a simultaneous recording judgingelement for judging whether the overlapping preset programs can berecorded simultaneously; an overlap warning element for giving a warningif any of the overlapping preset programs are not judged to besimultaneously recordable; and a priority presetting element forprioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording apparatus comprising: an information storing elementfor storing recording preset information constituted by a recordingstart time and a recording end time of each of preset programs forunattended recording, a program input route through which to input eachof the preset programs, and an image recording quality; an overlapjudging element for judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; a determining element fordetermining whether the overlapping preset programs belong to a singlecompression-coded transport stream; a simultaneous recording judgingelement for judging whether the overlapping preset programs can berecorded simultaneously based on what is determined by the determiningelement; an overlap warning element for giving a warning if any of theoverlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and a priority presetting element for prioritizing theoverlapping preset programs for unattended recording.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording apparatus comprising: an information storing elementfor storing recording preset information constituted by a recordingstart time and a recording end time of each of preset programs forunattended recording, a program input route through which to input eachof the preset programs, and an image recording quality; an overlapjudging element for judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; a simultaneous recording judgingelement for judging whether the overlapping preset programs can berecorded simultaneously; an overlap warning element for giving a warningif any of the overlapping preset programs are not judged to besimultaneously recordable; a priority presetting element forprioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended recording; amultiplex recording element for multiplexing a plurality of programsinto a single compression-coded transport stream for unattendedrecording; and a controlling element for controlling recording rates ofthe multiplex recording element during unattended recording inaccordance with how the overlapping preset programs are prioritized bythe priority presetting element.

[0011] According to fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided animage recording method comprising the steps of: storing recording presetinformation constituted by a recording start time and a recording endtime of each of preset programs for unattended recording, and by aprogram input route through which to input each of the preset programs;judging whether any of the preset programs for unattended recordingoverlap between the recording start times and the recording end times ofthe programs; warning of any overlapping preset programs that are judgedto exist; and prioritizing the overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.

[0012] According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording method comprising the steps of: storing recordingpreset information constituted by a recording start time and a recordingend time of each of preset programs for unattended recording, a programinput route through which to input each of the preset programs, and animage recording quality; judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if anyof the overlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and prioritizing the overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.

[0013] According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording method comprising the steps of: storing recordingpreset information constituted by a recording start time and a recordingend time of each of preset programs for unattended recording, a programinput route through which to input each of the preset programs, and animage recording quality; judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; determining whether the overlappingpreset programs belong to a single compression-coded transport stream;judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be recordedsimultaneously based on what is determined in the determining step;giving a warning if any of the overlapping preset programs are notjudged to be simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing the overlappingpreset programs for unattended recording.

[0014] According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is providedan image recording method comprising the steps of: storing recordingpreset information constituted by a recording start time and a recordingend time of each of preset programs for unattended recording, a programinput route through which to input each of the preset programs, and animage recording quality; judging whether any of the preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if anyof the overlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattendedrecording; and changing rates of program recording in accordance withhow the overlapping preset programs are prioritized, so that theoverlapping preset programs are multiplexed into a singlecompression-coded transport stream for unattended recording.

[0015] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention willbecome more apparent upon a reading of the following description andappended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a partial block diagram of a recording and reproducingapparatus embodying the invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is another partial block diagram of the recording andreproducing apparatus of the invention;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of steps constituting an unattendedrecording preset routine;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing how preset programs forunattended recording may typically overlap between their preset timezones;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of steps constituting a digital broadcastunattended recording preset routine; and

[0021]FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating how preset digitalbroadcast programs for unattended recording may typically overlapbetween their preset time zones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS System Configurationof the Recording and Reproducing Apparatus

[0022]FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams of a recording and reproducingapparatus 10 practiced as one embodiment of this invention. Theapparatus 10 involves having video and audio signals compression-codedand multiplexed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) standards into anMPEG system transport stream (TS). The transport stream thus generatedis written to and read from hard disc units in a hard disc drive (HDD)of the apparatus 10 for recording and reproduction.

[0023] In the description that follows, analog video and audio signalswill be referred to as the video signal and the audio signalrespectively; digital video and audio signals will be called eitherdigital video data and digital audio data, or simply video data andaudio data.

[0024] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this invention hasan antenna 1 for receiving analog TV broadcast programs. The apparatus10 comprises: analog input terminals 11V, 11A and 11S; analog outputterminals 12V, 12A and 12S; a digital I/O terminal 13; a digitalinterface 14; a digital broadcast RF signal input terminal 16; areception transponder selecting unit 17; a decoding unit 18; a packetselecting unit 19; an input processing unit 20; an output processingunit 30; a multiplexer/demultiplexer 40; a buffer controller 50; a harddisc drive 60; a synchronous control circuit 70; a system controller 80;an I/O interface 90; an operation input unit 110; a driver 120; adisplay control unit 140; and a display unit 150.

[0025] The hard disc drive 60 of this embodiment includes three harddisc units 61, 62 and 63. A transport stream is recorded onto any of thethree units and is reproduced therefrom.

[0026] The system controller 80 has a CPU (central processing unit) 81.A host bus 82 coupled to the CPU 81 is connected with a ROM (read onlymemory) 83 and a RAM (random access memory) 84.

[0027] The ROM 83 accommodates beforehand programs to be executed by theCPU 81. The CPU 81 retrieves the necessary programs from the ROM 83 whencontrolling components of the recording and reproducing apparatus 10.The programs and data required by the CPU 81 to control various parts ofthe apparatus 10 in operation are written as needed to the RAM 84.

[0028] The operation input unit 110 is made up of a keyboard, a mouse,buttons, switches and a remote commander. The unit 110 is connected tothe host bus 82 via the I/O interface 90.

[0029] The driver 120 is also connected to the host bus 82 through theI/O interface 90. The driver 120 is arranged to accommodate a magneticdisc 131, an optical disc 132, a magneto-optical disc 133, or asemiconductor memory 134. Programs retained on these media are installedinto the RAM 84 in a manner to be described later.

[0030] The display unit 150 is typically constituted by a liquid crystaldisplay. The display unit 150 is connected to the host bus 82 via thedisplay control unit (display drive unit) 140 and I/O interface 90.

[0031] Analog Input Processing and Recording

[0032] Analog television broadcast signals received by the antenna 1 areselected by a tuner 21 under control of the system controller 80operated by the operation input unit 110. The tuner 21 yields acomposite video signal and an audio signal of the selected channel. Thesignals are forwarded to one input terminal of an input switchingcircuit 22.

[0033] The input terminals 11V and 11A are supplied with a compositevideo signal and an audio signal, respectively, from an external device.The input terminal 11S is fed with a separate video signal from theexternal device.

[0034] The composite video signal from the input terminal 11V and theaudio signal from the input terminal 11A are sent to another inputterminal of the input switching circuit 22. The input switching circuit22, switched by the system controller 80, selects one of the compositevideo signals and its accompanying audio signal for output.

[0035] The composite video signal from the input switching circuit 22 isseparated by a YC separating circuit 23 into a luminance signal and acolor-difference signal. The separated signals are fed to one inputterminal of another input switching circuit 24. The separate videosignal (made of a luminance signal and a color-difference signal) fromthe input terminal 11S is supplied to another input terminal of theinput switching circuit 24. Switched by the system controller 80, theinput switching circuit 24 selects one of the luminance signals and itsaccompanying color-difference signal for output.

[0036] The luminance signal and color-difference signal from the inputswitching circuit 24 are subjected to analog-to-digital conversion (A/D)by an NTSC (National Television System Committee) decoder 25 beforebeing chroma-encoded. After the processing, the NTSC decoder 25 yieldscomponent video data.

[0037] The NTSC decoder 25 further separates the luminance signal comingfrom the input switching circuit 24 into a frame synchronizing signaland a line synchronizing signal. The separated synchronizing signals areused as a basis for generating a clock and a field discriminationsignal. The synchronizing signals, the clock, and the fielddiscrimination signal thus generated are supplied to the synchronouscontrol circuit 70. The circuit 70 uses the supplied signals as a basisfor generating clock and timing signals that are sent to thosecomponents of the recording and reproducing apparatus 10 which need thesignals.

[0038] The video data from the NTSC decoder 25 are subjected toprefiltering and other processes by a pre-video processing circuit 26.The data thus processed are fed to an MPEG video encoder 27 and apost-video processing circuit 32 in the output processing unit 30.

[0039] The MPEG video encoder 27 subjects the video data from thepre-video processing circuit 26 to coding such as block DCT (discretecosine transform), to generate a video elementary stream (ES). The videoelementary stream thus generated is fed to the multiplexer/demultiplexer40.

[0040] Meanwhile, the audio signal from the input switching circuit 22is converted to digital audio data by an A/D converter 28. The converteddata are supplied to an MPEG audio encoder 29 as well as to an outputswitching circuit 35 in the output processing unit 30.

[0041] The MPEG audio encoder 29 subjects the audio data from the A/Dconverter 28 to MPEG compression coding, generating an audio elementarystream. The audio elementary stream thus produced is sent to themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40.

[0042] The multiplexer part of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40multiplexes the video elementary stream from the MPEG video encoder 27,the audio elementary stream from the MPEG audio encoder 29, and variouscontrol signals into an MPEG system transport stream. The transportstream thus generated is sent to a buffer controller 50.

[0043] Given the continuous transport stream from themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40, the buffer controller 50 forwards anintermittent transport stream to the hard disc drive 60. That is, theinput transport stream is held temporarily in a buffer when the harddisc drive 60 performing a seek is not ready for a write operation. Whenthe hard disc drive 60 is ready for a write, the transport stream isretrieved from the buffer at a rate higher than the input rate foroutput to the hard disc drive 60. In this manner, the transport streamcontinuously input to the buffer controller 50 is written uninterruptedto the hard disc units 61 through 63.

[0044] Under control of the system controller 80, the hard disc drive 60writes the transport stream to the hard disc units 61 through 63. Theprotocol for exchanges between the buffer controller 50 and the harddisc drive 60 is typically IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics).

[0045] Reproduction and Analog Output Processing

[0046] At the time of reproduction, the hard disc drive 60 reads thetransport stream from the hard disc units 61 through 63 under control ofthe system controller 80. The retrieved transport stream is output tothe buffer controller 50. In the reverse of recording, the transportstream intermittently sent from the hard disc drive 60 is converted to acontinuous transport stream before being sent to themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40.

[0047] The demultiplexer part of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40analyzes a header of the continuous transport stream to separate a PES(Packetized Elementary Stream) from the stream. The PES thus analyzedand separated is supplied to an MPEG video/audio decoder 31.

[0048] The MPEG video/audio decoder 31 separates the PES coming from themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40 into a video elementary stream and an audioelementary stream. The MPEG video decoder part of the video/audiodecoder 31 decodes the video elementary stream for conversion intobaseband video data; the MPEG audio decoder part decodes the audioelementary stream for conversion into baseband audio data. After theconversion, the video data are sent to the post-video processing circuit32 and the audio data to the output switching circuit 35.

[0049] Under the direction of the system controller 80, the post-videoprocessing circuit 32 performs such processes as switching between videodata from the MPEG video/audio decoder 31 and video data from thepre-video processing circuit 26, composing these data, and subjectingthe data to a post-filtering process.

[0050] The post-video processing circuit 32 then generates a pluralityof representative screens for GUI (graphical user interface) which arereduced in size so as to be pasted onto windows. The processed videodata are fed from the circuit 32 to an OSD (on-screen display)processing circuit 33.

[0051] Under the direction of the system controller 80, the OSDprocessing circuit 33 generates video data corresponding to textinformation. The generated video data are multiplexed onto thewindow-ready video data from the post-video processing circuit 32. Themultiplexed video data are sent to an NTSC encoder 34.

[0052] The NTSC encoder 34 either converts the video data (componentvideo data) from the OSD processing circuit 33 into luminance data andcolor-difference data, or simply subjects the video data todigital-to-analog (D/A) conversion to generate a separate video signaland a composite video signal in analog format. The separate video signalis led to the output terminal 12S while the composite video signal isforwarded to the output terminal 12V.

[0053] Meanwhile, under control of the system controller 80, the outputswitching circuit 35 selectively extracts either the audio data from theMPEG video/audio decoder 31 or the audio data from the A/D converter 28.The selected audio data are converted to an analog audio signal by a D/Aconverter 36 before being led to the output terminal 12A.

[0054] The separate video signal, composite video signal and audiosignal having reached the output terminals 12S, 12V and 12A respectivelyare output to a monitor device 2 such as a TV set for audio and visualreproduction.

[0055] Writing and Reading of Video/Audio Data To and From the ExternalDevice

[0056] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this embodiment hasthe digital interface 14 connected interposingly between the digital I/Oterminal 13 and the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, and an external device3 is connected to the digital I/O terminal 13. In this setup, atransport stream entered from the external device 3 is written to thehard disc units 61 through 63; a transport stream read from the harddisc drives 61 through 63 is output to the external device 3.

[0057] The external device 3 is typically an IRD (integrated receiverdecoder), a personal computer or the like. The digital interface 14 istypically an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)1394 digital interface. A serial bus 4 such as an IEEE 1394 serial busconnects the external device 3 with the digital I/O terminal 13.

[0058] The transport stream reaching the digital I/O terminal 13 fromthe external device 3 via the serial bus 4 is interfaced by the digitalinterface 14 before being sent to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. Inturn, the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 forwards the transport stream tothe buffer controller 50. The buffer controller 50 causes the hard discdrive 60 to write the transport stream to the hard disc units 61 through63.

[0059] At the same time, the demultiplexer part of themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40 separates a PES from the transport streambeing recorded and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG video/audiodecoder 31. Given the PES, the MPEG video/audio decoder 31 yields ananalog video signal and an analog audio signal which are sent to theoutput terminals 12V, 12S and 12A.

[0060] Upon reproduction, the hard disc drive 60 reads a transportstream from the hard disc units 61 through 63. The retrieved transportstream is output to the buffer controller 50 which then forwards thestream to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. The transport stream isinterfaced by the digital interface 14 before being output to thedigital I/O terminal 13. From the digital I/O terminal 13, the transportstream is sent to the external device 3 over the serial bus 4. Given thetransport stream, a monitor device 5 connected to the external device 3provides video and audio output.

[0061] Concurrently, the demultiplexer part of themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40 separates a PES from the transport streambeing reproduced and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG video/audiodecoder 31. Given the PES, the MPEG video/audio decoder 31 yields areproduced analog video signal and a reproduced analog audio signalwhich are sent to the output terminals 12V, 12S and 12A.

[0062] Recording of Digital Broadcast Programs

[0063] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this embodiment hasthe reception transponder selecting unit 17, decoding unit 18 and packetselecting unit 19 connected interposingly between the digital broadcastRF signal input terminal 16 and the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. When adigital broadcast RF signal is input to the digital broadcast RF signalinput terminal 16 of this setup, a digital broadcast program may berecorded to the hard disc units 61 through 63.

[0064] More specifically, the reception transponder selecting unit 17first selects the digital broadcast RF signal desired to be received anddecoded. The decoding unit 18 decodes a transport stream out of theselected RF signal. The packet selecting unit 19 selectively separatespackets of the desired program from the decoded transport stream.

[0065] In that case, the packet selecting unit 19 may selectivelyseparate packets of a plurality of programs simultaneously from thedecoded transport stream as long as the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40,buffer control 50 and hard disc drive 60 can keep up with the data beingprocessed.

[0066] The packets separated by the packet selecting unit 19 are sent tothe multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 that in turn forwards the packets tothe buffer controller 50. Given the packets, the buffer controller 50causes the hard disc drive 60 to write them to the hard disc units 61through 63.

[0067] At the same time, the demultiplexer part of themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40 separates a PES from the transport streambeing recorded and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG video/audiodecoder 31. On receiving the PES, the MPEG video/audio decoder 31generates an analog video signal and an analog audio signal which aresent to the output terminals 12V, 12S and 12A.

[0068] In recording program packets to the hard disc units 61 through63, the system controller 80 controls the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40,buffer controller 50 and hard disc drive 60 in such a manner thathigh-priority preset programs for unattended recording are recordedpreferentially, as will be described later.

[0069] On the other hand, the system controller 80 adjusts recordingrates and image recording quality levels of low-priority programs insuch a manner that the programs may be recorded optimally as permittedby the remaining system resources of the recording and reproducingapparatus 10. These resources include remaining capabilities of themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40, buffer controller 50 and hard disc drive60, as well as recordable capacities of the hard disc units 61 through63.

[0070]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a setup in which the reception transponderselecting unit 17, decoding unit 18 and packet selecting unit 19constitute one system. Alternatively, two or more systems of the samekind may be furnished. Such a multiple-system setup allows programsmultiplexed in different transport streams to be received and recordedat the same time.

[0071] Examples of Presetting for Unattended Recording

[0072] What follows is a description of how user-preset programs forunattended recording are typically processed by the above-describedrecording and reproducing apparatus 10 according to the invention.

FIRST EXAMPLE

[0073]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of steps constituting an unattendedrecording preset routine 160 performed by the system controller 80. Theroutine 160 is used to preset analog television broadcast programsreceived by the antenna 1, video and audio signals input to the analoginput terminals 11V, 11S and 11A from an external unit, or a transportstream fed to the digital I/O terminal 13 from the external device 3,for unattended recording.

[0074] The unattended recording preset routine 160 is started when theuser carries out recording preset operations on the operation input unit110. In step S1, the system controller 80 receives unattended recordingpreset information made up of the channel number of a desired program(input route), a recording start time, a recording end time, and imagerecording quality, and writes the information to the RAM 84.

[0075] In step S2, the system controller 80 compares the presetinformation received in step S1 with the previously stored unattendedrecording preset information in the RAM 84 to see if any programsoverlap between their recording start times and recording end times. Ifany programs are judged to overlap, step S3 is reached in which anoverlap warning is indicated on the display unit 150. In step S4, aprompt indication is shown on the display unit 150 asking the user tospecify whether or not to prioritize the overlapping preset programs.

[0076]FIG. 4 schematically shows that whereas a program A is firstpreset at a time “ta” for unattended recording, a program B is preset ata later time “tb” for unattended recording, so that the programs A and Bpartially overlap between their recording start times and recording endtimes.

[0077] In the example of FIG. 4, the user has two options: to givepriority to one of the programs A and B (i.e., prioritized), or not togive priority to any of them.

[0078] In step S5, the system controller 80 determines whether or not toprioritize the preset programs based on the presence or absence of aresponse from the user or on the contents of such a response. In theexample of FIG. 4, if the user's response is to give priority to one ofthe programs A and B, the system controller 80 recognizes thepreferential selection and goes to step S6. In step S6, the systemcontroller 80 adds priority preset information to the unattendedrecording preset information in the RAM 84 regarding the preferredprogram. In step S7, an indication of the end of the unattendedrecording preset process appears on the display unit 150. At this point,the user watching the display may change the preset information asneeded.

[0079] In step S8, the system controller 80 determines whether or not toend the unattended recording preset process. If no response comes fromthe user specifying changes in the preset information, the systemcontroller 80 judges that the process can now be terminated anddeactivates the unattended recording preset routine.

[0080] If in step S8 the user specifies any change in the presetinformation for unattended recording, step S1 is reached again from stepS8, and the unattended recording preset process is repeated from thebeginning.

[0081] If in step S5 the system controller 80 judges that the user hasno intention of prioritizing the overlapping preset programs, step S5 isfollowed directly by step S7. If in step S2 the system controller 80judges that no preset programs overlap between their recording start andend times (this also applies to a case where no previously presetprogram exists), then the system controller 80 goes directly to step S7from step S2.

[0082] With the above-described unattended recording preset processaccomplished, the system controller 80 causes the preset programs to berecorded unattended accordingly.

[0083] If the user gives priority to the program A in the example ofFIG. 4, one of two cases applies according to default settings of theapparatus or as per previously established user preferences: in case 1,part of the program B is recorded in the nonoverlapping time zone; incase 2, no part of the program B is recorded. If the user prefers givingpriority to the program B, again one of two cases applies according todefault settings of the apparatus or as per previously established userpreferences: in case 3, part of the program A is recorded in thenonoverlapping time zone; in case 4, no part of the program A isrecorded.

[0084] If the user does not give priority to any of the programs A andB, one of the above cases 1 through 4 applies according to defaultsettings of the apparatus: the program preset earlier or later takesprecedence over the program preset later or earlier respectively; or theprogram to be broadcast earlier or later is given priority over theprogram to be broadcast later or earlier respectively.

[0085] For analog TV broadcast reception, the apparatus may include aplurality of blocks each comprising the tuner 21, YC separating circuit23, NTSC decoder 25, pre-video processing circuit 26, MPEG video encoder27, A/D converter 28, and MPEG audio encoder 29 constituting the inputprocessing unit 20. Such a multiple-block setup allows a plurality ofprograms to be recorded simultaneously.

[0086] In that case, the system controller 80 in step S2 computes thenumber of programs that may be recorded simultaneously in accordancewith the number of input processing blocks configured; with theoperating speeds of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, buffer controller50 and hard disc drive 60; and with the processing speed dictated by thepreset image recording quality. A check is then made to see if thecurrently preset program can be recorded on the basis of whether or notthe recordable program count obtained above is exceeded by the totalnumber of preset programs.

[0087] As described, if preset programs are judged to overlap betweentheir recording start times and recording end times, the systemcontroller 80 checks to see if the programs may be recordedsimultaneously. If simultaneous recording of multiple preset programs isnot judged to be available, the overlapping preset programs may beprioritized so that one or a plurality of them are preferentiallyrecorded. In the case of low-priority preset programs, the systemcontroller 80 verifies whether it is possible to record themsimultaneously at reduced levels of image recording quality, i.e., bylowering the transfer rate or by tolerating jerky frame feeds. If thelow-priority preset programs are judged to be simultaneously recordableunder such less favorable conditions, the system controller 80 allowsthem to be recorded accordingly.

SECOND EXAMPLE

[0088]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of steps constituting another unattendedrecording preset routine. This is a digital broadcast unattendedrecording preset routine 170 performed by the system controller 80 whenan RF signal is input to the digital broadcast RF signal input terminal16.

[0089] The digital broadcast unattended recording preset routine 170 isstarted when the user carries out recording preset operations on theoperation input unit 110. In step S11, the system controller 80 receivesunattended recording preset information made up of the channel number ofa desired program (input route), a recording start time, a recording endtime, and image recording quality, and writes the information to the RAM84.

[0090] In step S12, the system controller 80 compares the presetinformation received in step S11 with the previously stored unattendedrecording preset information in the RAM 84 to see if any programsoverlap between their recording start times and recording end times. Ifany programs are judged to overlap, step S13 is reached. In step S13,the system controller 80 checks to see whether the newly preset programis multiplexed in the same transport stream to which the previouslypreset program belongs.

[0091] If the newly preset program and the previously preset program arefound multiplexed in the same transport stream, it is possible to recordthe two programs simultaneously. In that case, step S13 is followed bystep S14. In step S14, the system controller 80 judges whether the twoprograms can be recorded simultaneously at requested levels of imagequality based on the remaining recordable capacities of the hard discunits 61 through 63; on the operating speeds of themultiplexer/demultiplexer 40, buffer controller 50 and hard disc drive60; and on the processing speed dictated by the preset image recordingquality.

[0092] If the two programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable at the requested levels of image quality, step S14 isfollowed by step S15. In step S15, the display unit 150 gives a warningthat the two programs overlap between their recording start times andrecording end times.

[0093] If in step S13 the newly preset program is not found multiplexedin the same transport stream that includes the previously presetprogram, step S13 is followed directly by step S15 in which the displayunit 150 displays a warning that the two programs overlap between theirrecording start times and recording end times.

[0094] Following the warning indication in step S15, the systemcontroller 80 goes to step S16. In step S16, the system controller 80displays a prompt display on the display unit 150 asking the user tospecify whether or not to prioritize the overlapping programs. In stepS17, the system controller 80 determines whether or not to prioritizethe preset programs based on the presence or absence of a response fromthe user or on the contents of such a response.

[0095] If the user's response is to give priority to one of the presetprograms, the system controller 80 recognizes the preferential selectionand goes from step S17 to step S18. In step S18, the system controller80 adds priority preset information to the unattended recording presetinformation in the RAM 84 regarding the preferred program. In step S19,an indication of the end of the unattended recording preset processappears on the display unit 150. At this point, the user watching thedisplay may change the preset information as needed.

[0096] In step S20, the system controller 80 determines whether or notto end the unattended recording preset process. If no response comesfrom the user specifying changes in the preset information, the systemcontroller 80 judges that the process can now be terminated and turnsoff the unattended recording preset routine.

[0097] If in step S20 the user specifies any change in the presetinformation for unattended recording, step S11 is reached again fromstep S20, and the unattended recording preset process is repeated fromthe beginning.

[0098] If in step S17 the system controller 80 judges that the user hasno intention of prioritizing the overlapping preset programs, step S17is followed directly by step S19. If in step S14 the system controller80 judges that the two preset programs can be recorded simultaneously atthe requested levels of image quality, the system controller 80 goesfrom step S14 directly to step S19. If in step S12 the system controller80 judges that no preset programs overlap between their recording startand end times (this also applies where no previously preset programexists), then the system controller 80 goes directly to step S19 fromstep S12.

[0099]FIG. 6 schematically shows that digital broadcast programs A and Bare preset both for high-image-quality unattended recording, withpriority preset for the program A to be recorded preferentially.

[0100] In the example of FIG. 6, there can be three cases of how thepreset programs A and B are recorded. In case 1, the priority-presetprogram A is recorded entirely at high image quality, while thenonoverlapping first half of the program B is recorded at high imagequality with the overlapping second half of the program B recorded atstandard image quality. That is because the apparatus with itsprocessing speed has judged itself not up to the task once recording ofthe preferred program A has started.

[0101] In case 2, the priority-preset program A is recorded at highimage quality in the same manner as in case 1, whereas the program B isrecorded entirely at standard image quality. That is because theapparatus, with its hard disc units 61 through 63 of limited recordablecapacities addressing the high-quality recording of the program A, hasjudged itself incapable of recording the program B at high imagequality, including the first nonoverlapping part thereof.

[0102] In case 3, the programs A and B are both recorded at high imagequality. That is because the system controller 80 judges in step S14that, given the resources available, the two programs cannot be recordedsimultaneously at high image quality; later at the start of recording ofthe program B, however, the system controller 80 judges that theprocessing speed of the apparatus and the remaining recordablecapacities of the hard disc drives 61 through 63 warrant recording ofthe two programs A and B altogether at high image quality.

[0103] How the Unattended Recording Preset Process Is Implemented

[0104] The above-described series of unattended recording presettingsteps described above may be implemented by software. For suchsoftware-based processing to take place, programs constituting thesoftware may be installed from a suitable storage medium into the systemcontroller 80, i.e., a computer inside the recording and reproducingapparatus 10 that may be composed of dedicated hardware; if theapparatus 10 is constituted by a general-purpose personal computercapable of executing diverse functions based on different programs, thesoftware may be installed from an appropriate storage medium into thecomputer.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 2, the storage medium is offered to users apartfrom the recording and reproducing apparatus 10 (i.e., computer) notonly as a package medium constituted by the magnetic disc (includingflexible discs) 131, optical disc (including CD-ROM (compact disc-readonly memory) and DVD (digital versatile disc)) 132, magneto-optical disc(including MD (Mini-disc), a registered trademark) 133, or semiconductormemory 134; but also in the form of the ROM 83 or the hard disc units 61through 63 in the hard disc drive 60 containing the programs andincorporated beforehand in the recording and reproducing apparatus 10(working as a computer).

[0106] In this specification, the steps which are stored on a storagemedium and which describe the programs to be executed represent not onlyprocesses that are carried out in the depicted sequence (i.e., on a timeseries basis) but also processes that are conducted parallelly orindividually.

[0107] The unattended recording preset process may be executed not onlyby software but also by hardware alone.

[0108] Other Variations

[0109] Although the above-described embodiment is designed to compressvideo and audio data by MPEG standards, this is not limitative of theinvention. Alternatively, other suitable compression schemes may beadopted. As another alternative, the data may be simply converted todigital data without being compressed or may be used in any formatincluding non-compressed or non-converted format.

[0110] Although the recording and reproducing apparatus of theabove-described embodiment utilizes hard discs as a storage medium, thisis not limitative of the invention. Other media such as optical discs,magneto-optical discs or semiconductor memories may be employed instead.

[0111] As described and according to the invention, if a plurality ofprograms are preset for unattended recording in a manner overlappingbetween their recording start and end times, a check is made to see ifthe multiple programs can be recorded simultaneously. If the programsare judged recordable simultaneously, they are allowed to be sorecorded; if the programs are not judged simultaneously recordable, theyare prioritized so that the preferred program is given priority overothers for unattended recording. The inventive apparatus thus allows theuser to deal with overlapping preset TV programs for unattendedrecording in a manner highly manageable and optimally satisfying.

[0112] As many apparently different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsthereof except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image recording apparatus comprising:information storing means for storing recording preset informationconstituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of eachof preset programs for unattended recording, and by a program inputroute through which to input each of said preset programs; overlapjudging means for judging whether any of said preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; overlap warning means for warningof any overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; andpriority presetting means for prioritizing the overlapping presetprograms for unattended recording.
 2. An image recording apparatuscomprising: information storing means for storing recording presetinformation constituted by a recording start time and a recording endtime of each of preset programs for unattended recording, a programinput route through which to input each of said preset programs, and animage recording quality; overlap judging means for judging whether anyof said preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;simultaneous recording judging means for judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; overlap warning meansfor giving a warning if any of said overlapping preset programs are notjudged to be simultaneously recordable; and priority presetting meansfor prioritizing said overlapping preset programs for unattendedrecording.
 3. An image recording apparatus comprising: informationstoring means for storing recording preset information constituted by arecording start time and a recording end time of each of preset programsfor unattended recording, a program input route through which to inputeach of said preset programs, and an image recording quality; overlapjudging means for judging whether any of said preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; determining means for determiningwhether the overlapping preset programs belong to a singlecompression-coded transport stream; simultaneous recording judging meansfor judging whether said overlapping preset programs can be recordedsimultaneously based on what is determined by said determining means;overlap warning means for giving a warning if any of said overlappingpreset programs are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; andpriority presetting means for prioritizing said overlapping presetprograms for unattended recording.
 4. An image recording apparatuscomprising: information storing means for storing recording presetinformation constituted by a recording start time and a recording endtime of each of preset programs for unattended recording, a programinput route through which to input each of said preset programs, and animage recording quality; overlap judging means for judging whether anyof said preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;simultaneous recording judging means for judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; overlap warning meansfor giving a warning if any of said overlapping preset programs are notjudged to be simultaneously recordable; priority presetting means forprioritizing said overlapping preset programs for unattended recording;multiplex recording means for multiplexing a plurality of programs intoa single compression-coded transport stream for unattended recording;and controlling means for controlling recording rates of said multiplexrecording means during unattended recording in accordance with how saidoverlapping preset programs are prioritized by said priority presettingmeans.
 5. An image recording method comprising the steps of: storingrecording preset information constituted by a recording start time and arecording end time of each of preset programs for unattended recording,and by a program input route through which to input each of said presetprograms; judging whether any of said preset programs for unattendedrecording overlap between the recording start times and the recordingend times of the programs; warning of any overlapping preset programsthat are judged to exist; and prioritizing the overlapping presetprograms for unattended recording.
 6. An image recording methodcomprising the steps of: storing recording preset informationconstituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of eachof preset programs for unattended recording, a program input routethrough which to input each of said preset programs, and an imagerecording quality; judging whether any of said preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if anyof said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.
 7. An image recording method comprising the stepsof: storing recording preset information constituted by a recordingstart time and a recording end time of each of preset programs forunattended recording, a program input route through which to input eachof said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whetherany of said preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;determining whether the overlapping preset programs belong to a singlecompression-coded transport stream; judging whether said overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously based on what isdetermined in said determining step; giving a warning if any of saidoverlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.
 8. An image recording method comprising the stepsof: storing recording preset information constituted by a recordingstart time and a recording end time of each of preset programs forunattended recording, a program input route through which to input eachof said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whetherany of said preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be recordedsimultaneously; giving a warning if any of said overlapping presetprograms are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; prioritizingsaid overlapping preset programs for unattended recording; and changingrates of program recording in accordance with how said overlappingpreset programs are prioritized, so that said overlapping presetprograms are multiplexed into a single compression-coded transportstream for unattended recording.
 9. A storage medium which stores aprogram in a manner readable by a computer, said program comprising thesteps of: storing recording preset information constituted by arecording start time and a recording end time of each of preset programsfor unattended recording, and by a program input route through which toinput each of said preset programs; judging whether any of said presetprograms for unattended recording overlap between the recording starttimes and the recording end times of the programs; warning of anyoverlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; and prioritizingthe overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
 10. A storagemedium which stores a program in a manner readable by a computer, saidprogram comprising the steps of: storing recording preset informationconstituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of eachof preset programs for unattended recording, a program input routethrough which to input each of said preset programs, and an imagerecording quality; judging whether any of said preset programs forunattended recording overlap between the recording start times and therecording end times of the programs; judging whether the overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if anyof said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.
 11. A storage medium which stores a program in amanner readable by a computer, said program comprising the steps of:storing recording preset information constituted by a recording starttime and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattendedrecording, a program input route through which to input each of saidpreset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whether any ofsaid preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;determining whether the overlapping preset programs belong to a singlecompression-coded transport stream; judging whether said overlappingpreset programs can be recorded simultaneously based on what isdetermined in said determining step; giving a warning if any of saidoverlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneouslyrecordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset programs forunattended recording.
 12. A storage medium which stores a program in amanner readable by a computer, said program comprising the steps of:storing recording preset information constituted by a recording starttime and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattendedrecording, a program input route through which to input each of saidpreset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whether any ofsaid preset programs for unattended recording overlap between therecording start times and the recording end times of the programs;judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be recordedsimultaneously; giving a warning if any of said overlapping presetprograms are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; prioritizingsaid overlapping preset programs for unattended recording; and changingrates of program recording in accordance with how said overlappingpreset programs are prioritized, so that said overlapping presetprograms are multiplexed into a single compression-coded transportstream for unattended recording.